The invention relates to a video signal processing system comprising a plurality of video signal processing apparatuses, at least one of the apparatuses including a facility for conversion of the aspect ratio of video signals, the apparatuses being connected so as to provide a video signal path from a source one of the apparatuses to a destination one of the apparatuses.
The invention further relates to a video signal processing apparatus for use in such a system.
Conventional television and video systems (for example PAL, SECAM, NTSC) operate with a picture aspect ratio of 4:3, but widescreen formats such as MAC, PAL plus and MUSE are available or proposed which have a 16:9 aspect ratio. For some years during a transition to widescreen systems there will be a need for conventional 4:3 picture signals to be converted for display on new widescreen display apparatus, and for new widescreen picture signals to be converted for display on conventional 4:3 display apparatus.
Facilities for such conversion can be provided within the television set or video monitor, within a VCR, within a satellite broadcast tuner or other special equipment. However, with presently proposed equipment, it is left to the user to sort out which conversions are required for the receivable signals for a given combination of apparatus, leading to a very user-unfriendly system. Even when the user has a relatively straightforward system in which a satellite receiver for wide-screen transmissions simply provides a converted conventional 4:3 signal to subsequent elements such as VCR and television, problems will arise when, at a later date, the user upgrades to a widescreen version of one or both of these latter two components. The user then has to disable the conversion in the satellite tuner, (if possible) leading again to user-unfriendliness and perhaps expense. With a VCR, even more confusion can arise if the user has to decide whether a signal needs to be converted during recording, playback or both, and whether the conversion is to be (can be) performed in the television set, the VCR, the satellite tuner and so forth.